Saturday: 120512

NUTRITON CHALLENGE ALERT: Anyone raising 100 dollars or more this weekend MAY DOUBLE THEIR BONUS POINTS (FRIDAY/SATURDAY/SUNDAY ONLY) This bonus opportunity expires Sunday at Midnight. 99 dollars doesn’t count to take advantage of the doubling of the award.

Read The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson – This was an enlightening and easy read (as promised). Outside of the detailing of the biochemical triggers and criticality of maintaining a steadier insulin level via the foods we consume to minimize the storage of excess fat, I found the chapter on Grok and the Krogs especially relevant to today’s wired and fast-paced lifestyle. It was a great reminder of how simplifying our lifestyle and focusing on the most important elements – family, play and discovery of new things can really free us from the instant gratification and fast food society we live in today. I did find it repetitive but thorough in supporting the tenets of the blueprint. It has also been gratifying to see the results of following the blueprint so quickly in week one of the challenge.

And for my Primal Blue Print review:
Great book that really lays out the fundamentals of not only what to eat but why we were built to eat that way. Also does a good job of providing “Ah ha!” moments such as why do we have a sweet tooth? Because sweet things in nature tend to not be poisonous.

My impression was that if you complete all “bonus activities” you get 10 points. If you raise $100 during the time frame of (fri/sat/sun) and also complete the “bonus activities” then you get 20 total points. I didn’t think only raising the money and not doing the bonus stuff counted for any points, I thought it was all or nothin… but i could be wrong.

So i just finished The Primal Blueprint. First this was the first book that I’ve read cover to cover in the past few years. After finishing the book i have the same reaction i had while reading it which is that its repetitive. The first two chapters of the book are where the real meat and potatoes (or veggies) of the Primal Blueprint are described. My father always would say why write a paragraph when a sentence would do. I think this really rung true for me while reading through the book. The first chapter outlines the basics of the Primal Blueprint (the ten laws ect.) and the second chapter compares a primal lifestyle with a modern lifestyle. The comparison i think does a great job bringing the harsh reality of how unhealthy and harmful a contemporary lifestyle can be without us realizing into plain sight. The rest of the book ( the last 70% on the kindle) was pretty much a reiteration of what was laid out in the first chapter. I already knew the basics of a primal diet/lifestyle so i felt that after the beginning i was trying to be sold on something that i already bought and was using.

My main question with the book is the “chronic cardio” problem that he addresses. He says time and time again that working out hard in an all out effort regularly is bad because it over uses your fight or flight response system. I get that but what about CrossFit? He mentions crossfit.com as a source for where you should get some primal workouts (functional movements) but then bashes always working at a high intensity. CrossFit programs lifting heavy things and occasionally sprinting but i don’t really ever feel like during a WOD i am moving at a slow steady pace. What I think he is saying is that doing crossfit is good for you about 2-3 times per week. If this is true than how do the athletes at the games workout at least twice a day and not seem to have any of the side affects of fatigue or inflammation from constant intense work? Overall I’m glad that i read the book…I just wish that it wasn’t only written from a lose body fat to get better perspective.

I too read Primal Blueprint
I took away how eating can be mindless.The korgs live like most of us,long commutes sitting at a desk,eating fast food little sleep..With his 10 Primal Blueprint Laws we get a good idea how to turn it around.We learn why we get fat how we can avoid it.It really is what you eat, all about insulin! This is one book everyone should own and refer back to time and time again.Every question you might have is answered and the best part he gives you a plan that is easy to live by! I have relied on the chart on pg. 227 for my carb intake! READ IT!

I decided to read Primal Blueprint, being that I was about to dive into a whole new journey of eating for the next month, it was the best book to read first. Some of Sisson’s primal laws were common sense, such as get enough sleep, exercise (lift heavy things), get enough sunlight, and don’t mess with the brain. I have always known that too many carbs were not good, but Sisson finally made me understand the principle behind carbohydrates and the effect of insulin. Sisson does a suitable job of explaining how to balance your life with food as well. Prior to this Crossfit journey, I NEVER ate meat, and I never really could provide a correct answer as to why I never ate it to someone. In the last month, I have enjoyed various meats for dinner and I now have an answer as to why I eat meat. The Primal Blueprint is a great read for those who want to enter a new journey and appreciate the important aspect of food in your life and what goes in your body. When I closed the book, I have a new appreciate of what I eat and how I eat it. I also appreciated how Sisson encourages his readers to follow the diet 80% of the time and that it is okay to indulge once in awhile. I am now using Primal Blueprint quick and easy meals and made my first “paleo meal” (breakfast scones for the week) today using coconut oil, raw honey, and blanched almond flour. For anyone who wants to read a quick, easy, encouraging, and learn about a new journey into the world of food, Primal Blueprint is a great first read.

In Defense of Food. Listened to it on CD. Twice. Lots of driving.
Very much in line with the Biblical way of eating in the Pentateuch. Real food, no processing needed, whole grains, leave the earth alone for 1 year out of 7 for the ground to recover and keep the nutrients in the soil. Today’s food sources are very nutrient deficient due to overuse of the soil and the improper use of chemicals to produce higher, cheaper yields.
Summary: Eat real food: meat, eggs, fish caught in the ocean and lakes, whole grains, vegetable fruit. And search out food sources that do not use “common” present-day techniques of farming.
Thoroughly enjoyed the book. It is a resource for my change in diet.

Completed the bonus challenge. I read The Primal Blueprint. I find this book to be a great reference. I read it during my first nutrition challenge as a paleo diet was a new concept for me. I think Mark Sisson explains all aspects in an easy to understand way. For me it really clarified the whole insulin response and how certain foods that are marketed as healthy (grains) effect the body. I have tried other diet philosophies but this one makes the most sense for me and the 80/20 makes it very doable.

completed the challenge. I too read The Primal Blueprint. The book was and enjoyable read. It was a nice eye opening to just how much the processed food the industry has created produces insulin spikes in our body. This books philosophy makes a lot of sense to me for many of the health issues that we see today and hope that many more people have a chance to read this book.